Leer



Marh l0, l925- 1,529,177 s. A. PORTER ET AL.

LEER

Filed June 4, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheell l March 10, 1925' S. A. FORTER ET ALLEER 3 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed June 4, 192l March l0, 1925- S. A. FORTER ETAL LEER Filed June 4, 1921 INVENTORS 3 Sheets-*Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 10,1925,

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL A. PORTER, 0F BIZXLLEVUI, AND ADOLPH H. MEYER, 0F PITTSBURGH,PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO H. L. DIXON COMPANY, OF CARNEGIE,PENNSYLVANIA,

A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

LEER.

Application filed .Tune 4,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL A. FoR'rER and ADoLrH H. MEYER, bothcitizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Bellevue andat Pittsburgh, both in Allegheny County, in the State of Pennsyl- Vania,have invented a new and useful Irmprovement in Leers, of which thefollowing is a full, clear,'and exact descrlption, reference being had`to the accompanying drawin s, in which- I igure 1 is a longitudinalvertlcal 4section, partly broken away, of one form of leer embodying ourinvention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section of a portion of the leer, on a largerscale;

Figure 3`is a detail view of one of the pusher rod supporting devices;

Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly broken away, looking at the farside of the leer in Fi re 1 igure5 is a section on the line V-V of Fiure 1;

igure 6 is a detail view showing one pair of the supports for the pusherrodsand Figures 7 and 8 are detail views showing the connection betweenthe pulling and the pushing rods. p

Our invention has relation to glass' annealing leers, and moreparticularl to leers used in the manufacture of plate g ass.

Heretofore it has been customary in practice to construct the entranceportion of the leer in the form of a series of zig-zagged communicatingovens through which the glass is moved by alternately pushing itforwardly and laterally. This arrangement has been desirable owing tothe fact that no suitable mechanically operated usher mechanism has beendevised which has been capable of effectively feeding entering plates ina direct line through the entrance or oven (portion of the leer onto theusual pulling an lifting rods at the cooler portion of the leer, or leerend.

Our invention is desi ed to provide means of simple and e ectivecharacter which permits the oven portion of the leer to be arranged in astraight line with the leer end; and also to provide mechanism wherebythe glass plates may be pushed directly forward through this portion ofthe leer onto the usual lifting and pulling rods.

1921. Serial No. 474,965.

The nature of our invention will be best understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in Awhich we have shown our invention applied toone'form of leer, which will now be described, it being premised,however, that the invention is applicable to other constructions andtypes of leers, and that the details of construction, arrangement, andcombination of the'variou's parts may be widely changed withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of our invention as defined in theappended claims.

In these drawings, the numeral 2 designates the oven portion of a glassleer, into which the glass plates A are introduced through an opening 3on one of the lateral walls of said oven. This oven is arran ed in adirect line with the leer end 2*, so t at the plates A, after enterinf`the oven 2, may be moved forward in straight lines throughout the entirelength of the leer;

In the drawings, we have illustrated the application of our invention toa leer in which the oven 2 is of the muilie type, this oven havin aheating chamber 4 provided with off-ta e flues 5 leading into a pipe' 6communicating with a stack 7. The particular construction of the leer,however, forms no part of our present invention. `8 designates suitabledampersfor controlling the olf-take connections 5.

The cooling portion 2a of the leer is provided with the usual. set ofreciprocating pulling rods 9 and with the usual arrangement ofvertically movable lifting rods 10,

as best shown in Figure 5. The pulling rods 9 are arranged to bereciprocated by the usual cables 11 carried on the drums 12, these drumsbeing actuated by a rack and pinion mechanism 13 (see Fig. 4), actuatedin turn by a power cylinder 14./ Thefor- Ward end of the rack member ofthis rack and pinion device, as it approaches the limit of its forwardmovement, is designed to contact with a movable member 15, which isseated against an adjustable spring 16, this devi being for a purppsewhich will presently be explained.

The lifting rods 10 are arranged to be operated by any usual mechanism,such as the system of connected levers 1-7 shown 4in Figure 4, actuatedby a power cylinder 18.

This connection may comprise the usual arrangement of `a composite beam47 extending transversely of the Ileer below the' rods 10 and supportingeach of the rods.

Each of the levers 17 may be connected at its y lower end to a pulley 48whereby the pulley is rotated upon oscillation ofy the lever.. Each ofthese pulleys in turn is connected through a chain or cable 49 to thecomposite beam 47 whereby the beam is raised 'and lowered in unison withits corresponding lever 17. As these levers are in turn connected forsimultaneous movement, it will be apparent thatall of the beams 47 aresimultaneously raised and lowered, thereby simultaneously raising 'andlowering all portions of the lifting rods 10. The pulleys 48 and thechains or cables 49 may be mounted in suitable boxes 50` formed in thewalls of the leer at the proper'points, as clearly shown in 'Figures 4and 5.

For Athe purpose of 'pushing the glass plates A through the portion 2 ofthe leer and onto the leer rods, we provide the two longitudinal rods19v extending longitudinally through said chamber above its ioor 20.These rods `may either solid rods or they may be' conveniently. formed olength of piping or` tubing. Each rod is supported at intervals upon awheel or roller 21 mounted in a lowerportion of a carr1er 22, which inturn` is supported for limitedlongitudinal movement on the tracks A23 ofa boxlike hanger device 24. A number of` these hangers are provided inlongitudinal 'series yfor each ofthe rods 19. Each of these hangerdevices is shown as supported b means .Uof the two vertical rods 25`(see ig.l 2), which extend upwardly through suitable guides and areconnected at thelr upper ends by a bar or yoke 26 havlng an upwardprojection 27 towhich is pivotally connected oneparm of a lever 28.

The lever 28 is actuated by' a suitable sysvtem of l1nk and leverconnections 29, 30, 31, vand 32, w1th one of the levers 17 which actuatethe lifting rods of the leer, these connections being best shown inFigure 4. Each of the levers2`8 hasl an upwardly, eX- tendmg'arm 33,these arms being connected, as shown in'dotted lines in Figure 1, to acommon connecting bar 34 for all ofthe hangers at that side of the leer.The connectlons just described provide K means whereby at the proper'times the rods 19 may be lifted vertically a short distance by asimultaneous vertical movement of the hangers 24. f l

The rods 19. are given an endwise recipbeing connected to the outsidereciprocating 'pulling bars 9 of "the leer, lthis connection beingindicated at 35 in Figure 1 and shown 'more in detail in Figures 7 and8. Itv consists ofa transverse bar or bridge member 35a which connectsthe two outside pulling bars, and is provided with two sockets 35;fand acrosstie connection 35 between the two rods 1 9, having two dependingpins 35d which engage the sockets 35b and are capable of a suflicientvertical movement therein to permit of an independent vertical movementof the pulling rods, as hereinafter described.

Each rod 19 has secured thereto a plurality of spaced-apart hangers 36to which the ushing members for the glass are fastened. *ach of 'thesepushin members is shown as comprising an ang e -which extendstransversely across the chamber 2 between the twd opposite hangers' 36on respective rods 19. The lower' horizontal :liange of this angle isbeveled, as shown at 38 (Fig. 2), so as to pass under the edge .portionof the glass plate. is a pushing member 39, which preferably consists ofa strip of some suitable material, such as asbestos, which is designedfor direct contact with the edge of the plate to be pushed.

The operation is as follows. Durlng each forward movement of the pullingrods 9 and pusher rods 19 the lates are advanced through the leer adistance substantially equal to their length. At the end of each ofthese forward movements the forward end of the rack member of the rackand pinion device 13 has engaged the member 15, thereby compressing thespring 16. The compression of this spring Vat the time the rods 9 and 19have fully completed their forward movement, is suiicient to exert ashort back kick upon the rods 9 and 19. This kick is sufficient yt`odisengage the beveled edge portions or toes 38 of the angles 37 frombeneath the glass plates. At this time, the connectionsy alreadyrdescribed will operate to simultaneously raise all of the. hangers 24,thereby elevating the pusher rods 19 sufficiently to permit the pusherscarried by these rodsto move backwardly over the glass plates in theleer, into positions to respectively engage the succeeding plates for'anew forward movement. fact that the carriages 22r are capable of alimited longitudinal movement in the hangers 24, enables the rods 19 tomake a full return movement of a length somewhat greater peated insuccession, thus causing a gradual advanceof each plate A'through theleer.

The'advantages of our invention will be apparent to those familiar withplate glass annealing `leers and with the pushing or SecuredI to theangle 37 f The l stowing operations which have heretofore been'necessaryin connection with the zigzag leer chambers commonly employed. Ourinvention provides a very simple pushing mechanism, operated throughconnections with the usual leer rod operating mechanisms, for feedingthe plates 'Ain a straight line through the entrance portion of the leeronto the leer rods. This feeding of the plates is accomplished in amanner which does not injure the glass and which greatly reduces theamount of labor required. The straight line arrangement of the leergreatly simplifies its construction and accomplishes an object which haslong been sought in this art.

We claim:

1. The combination with a plate glass an- Y nea-ling leer havinglongitudinally reciprocable pulling rods and vertically movable liftingrods, of mechanism for feeding the glass plates onto said rods, saidmechanism comprising longitudinally extending pusher rods' operativelyconnected to said pulling rods to reciprocate therewith and havingdepending pushing devices, together withv means for automaticallyraising said pushing rods in unlson with the lifting rods to permit thereturn movements thereof, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a plate glass'annealing leer having a continuousstraight line oven portion and leer end portion and provided with theusual lifting and pulling rods, of pushing mechanism for feedlng theplates through the oven portion onto said rods, and actuatingconnections between said pushing mechanism and the leer rod mechanism,substantially as described. K

3. In a plate glass annealing leer, the combination with the usuallifting and pulling rods, of mechanism for moving the glassy plates ina, straight lineonto said rods, said mechanism comprising pushingmembers carrying pushers, means to reciprocate said pushing members inunison with the pulling rods o the leer, and connections with saidlifting rods to lift said members during their return movements,substantially as described.

4. In a plate glass leer, conveying mechanism comprisinglongitudinallyyreciprocable vpushing members having transversely a1'- .ranged pushers,hangers supporting said- .members, pulling rods co-operating therewith,means for reciprocating said members and said rods, and means forlifting the vhangers and thereby said members during the returnmovements of said members, substantially as described.

5. In a plate glass annealing leer, conveyingmechanism comprisinglongitudinally re' ciprocable pushing members, a plurality of hangerssupporting said members, pulling rods co-operating therewith, means forre- 2ciprocating said members, and said rods in unison, and means forlifting saidhangers and thereby the members during their returnmovements, substantiallv as described.

6. In a plate glass leer having mechanism comprising longitudinallymovable pushing members, means for reciprocating said members, aplurality of carriages upon their return movements, and. dependingpushers carried by said rods and extending transversely between them,each of said pushers comprising a beveled member adapted to engageunderneath the edge of av glass plate, vand a pushing member forengagement with the transverse rear edge of 'a glass plate,substantially as described.

f8. Conveying mechanism for plate glass leers having an oven portion,eomprismg a plurality of rods extending longitudinally within thevovenportion of the leer chamber, a plurality of transversely extendingpushers carried by said rods and adapted to engage underneath the rearedge portions of the glass plates and also to engage the rear edgeportions of said plates, means for lreciprocating said rods, means forlifting said rods ring the return movements thereof, and meanscontrolled by said rstmentioned means for causin the disengagement ofthe pushers from t e plates before the rods are lifted, substant1ally asdescribed. v

9.v A `plate glass .leer having an oven portion and a leer end portionarran ed in a straight line, lifting and pullin `r s in the leer endportion of the leer, an mechanical means operable in timed relation tothe operationof said rods for moving the glass through the oven portionof the leer and onto said rods, substantially as described.

10. A plate glass annealing leer having an oven (portion and aleer end`por-tion arran e in a straight line, a mechanical pus er for pushingthe glass plates-'through the oven portion and into the. leer endportion, and means in the leer end portion for moving the platestherethrough in timed relation to the movement of the plates through theoven portion, substantially as described. 5 11. A plate glass annealingleer having an oven portion and a leer end portion the lat- -ter havingreciprocable pulling rods, a meand connections'actuated bythe pullinrods for operating the pushing device, su stantially as described.

12. A plate glass annealing leer having an oven portion and a leer endportion arranged in a straight line, the leer end por- .tion havinglongitudinally reciprocable pull ing rods and vertically movable liftingrods,

and a mechanical pushing device for moving the glass plates through theoven portion onto said rods, connections between said de vice and thepulling rods for. imparting a longitudinal movement to said device, andconnections operated by the ilifting rods for imparting a verticalmovement to the pushv ing device, substantially as described.

13. Ina plate glass leer, conveying mechaw' nism comprisinglongitudinally reciprocable neously lifting said hangers and saidlifting rods, substantially as described.

14. In a plate glass annealing leer, con-l veying mechanism comprisinglongitudinally reciprocable pushing members, pulling rods co-operat-ingtherewith, means vfor simultaneously reciprocating said members landsaid pulling rods, lifting' rods, and means for simultaneously liftingsaid members and said lifting rods, substantially as described.

l5. In a plate glass annealing leer, conveying mechanism comprisinglongitudinally reciprocable pushing members, pulling rods co-operatingtherewith, means for simultaneously reciprocating said members and saidrods, and means for lifting said members during their return vmovements,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, We set ,our hands.

have hereunto vSAMUEL A. FORTEB.. e AnoLPH H. MEYER.

